What is a Sarin Scan And How Much Value Does It Provide?

In diamond cutting and grading assessment, every facet’s angle and proportions matter. Each measurement down to the nearest tenth of a degree constitutes to the diamond’s light performance.

Now, when we are talking about dimensions that are so precise, how do we ensure accurate and repeatable measurements?

The answer to this is through the use of machines. Smart as we are, there’s no way humans can perform consistent and accurate measurements by hand without using specialized equipment. And in the jewelry industry, time is money.

To meet demands for fast and reliable methods of mapping diamonds, Sarin Technologies has developed a series of sophisticated optical technologies and measurement systems. Today, these state-of-the-art equipment are used in grading laboratories as well as production factories.

From an engineering standpoint, the concept behind their solution is very elegant and impressive. Lasers are used for mapping out a gemstone’s proportions with high speed and precision. With moving actuators, delicate motors controlling signal detection and a sensitive docking stage, the accuracy of measurements can be kept within 20 microns. To put things into perspective, the accuracy achievable is roughly the thickness of a third of a human hair (60 microns).

Did You Know That ALL Major Grading Labs Utilize Sarin Machines?

Sarin products find their place in the diamond industry all over the world. Almost every respectable gemology lab owns a Sarin machine that can be used to capture data for gemological purposes. Well-known labs like GIA, AGS, EGL and IGI all use similar models to automate measurements of a diamond which are then subjected to further analysis.

For consumers who are really geeky and need to get their hands all available technical data about a diamond, you will be pleased to know White Flash do offer Sarin reports for their signature diamonds.

Uses of Sarin Machines in Diamond Manufacturing

In the manufacturing plant where rough diamonds are sorted and queued for polishing, the Sarin machine is a mandatory tool for planning and optimizing yield.

Before Sarin machines were introduced, the way rough crystals were handled in the planning process was vastly different. Very often, rough diamonds will have a frosted layer of skin which obstructs the view of the stone’s interior. “Windows” were often polished on the rough crystal in order to allow cutters to peek within the diamond’s body for accurate assessment and planning.

The use of Sarin’s latest technology has changed all that. Windows would no longer be required in order to examine the stone internally. With accurate 3D mapping of inclusions, human errors were also significantly reduced during the cutting process.

Sarin for Retail And Dealer Applications

Besides being used in upstream manufacturing processes, Sarin systems had also gained widespread popularity for both downstream businesses like dealers and wholesales. Also, for businesses that offer re-cutting services to consumers, the Sarin is an indispensable tool.

While it isn’t widely used in retail stores yet, there are certain benefits of having a Sarin machine in-store. View the following video for more details.

When wholesalers do business with another supplier, Sarin machines like the DiaMension HD can also be used evaluate a diamond’s symmetry and proportions. A quick scan of a diamond may reveal subtle issues like facets misalignment, point to point facet junctions and other symmetry related problems which can ultimately help them make purchasing decisions.

What Does the Sarin Report Tells You?

Bear in mind that a Sarin report is not a replacement for a lab grading report. Interestingly, it wasn’t until recently that the major gem labs started to include details of the cut quality and condition of the diamond in their grading certificate. In the past, a scan performed by tools like the Dia Mension or Dia Pro would be sufficient to generate a report that is accepted by people in the trade.

Today, grading labs like GIA and AGS had incorporated averaged measurements performed by Sarin into their lab reports. As a consumer, you can now find the measured values conveniently displayed in the form of a proportions diagram.

And this brings us to the next question, when would a Sarin scan be useful to you since you can already find similar details in a lab certificate? Do you still need to go so far as to request a Sarin report from your dealer? I will discuss that in more details on the next page…